I have a few questions before purchasing a Qolsys system.
2 story home with dated HAI automation system, all wired. (Motion, smokes, co, sirens, etc)
In order to use the 16-F I understand I have to use 2 wire smokes. All of the smokes in my house are 4 wire. I don’t mind changing each smoke out, but what about the existing wiring? Can this be done and what would I have to do?
I plan on abandoning wired motions and replace with wireless due to age.
Also, I would like a secondary panel upstairs where I have an existing 2nd HAI panel. I was told by a local security salesman that the secondary panels don’t work well. True? I ultimately want to be able to partition upstairs and downstairs motions as I have small children that walk around upstairs in the middle of night. If possible, I’d almost prefer mounting a tablet and running the Alarm.com app on the secondary panel anyhow.
In order to use the 16-F I understand I have to use 2 wire smokes. All of the smokes in my house are 4 wire. I don’t mind changing each smoke out, but what about the existing wiring? Can this be done and what would I have to do?
Consider using the PG9WLSHW8 PowerG Hardwire Translator instead which supports 4-wire smoke detectors.
However, be sure to check the replace by dates on those smoke detectors and CO detectors, they may well have passed.
I was told by a local security salesman that the secondary panels don’t work well. True?
No, but they probably don’t like dealing with homeowner routers. Issues can arise with wifi depending on your home network setup. The IQ Panel and the Remote must be on the same LAN. They should both be on the 2.4ghz band.
Mesh routers and some other modern routers can mess this up by dynamically adjusting the connection. In any instance where the same SSID and Password are used for 2.4 and 5ghz, it will result in issues.
That can be avoided by using Access Point mode on the IQ Panel 2+ and just connecting the IQ Remote directly to it.
The IQ Panel 2+ supports partitions and I would strongly recommend using an IQ Remote rather than a tablet and ADC app. If for no other reason than immediate status syncing and no latency on operations.
Thanks for the reply! I placed an order on your site for Qolsys hardware, #509044. I did not see the hardwire translator you recommended on your site, but was able to source it online. I guess I should have asked before ordering, but will the wireless sensors I had ordered work with this translator? I chose IQ sensors, but do they need to be PowerG? Please advise so we can get in front of it before shipping.
The wireless sensors wouldn’t be impacted by the translator choice. You can mix and match PowerG and IQ 319.5 sensors on the system, don’t need all of one or the other.
The wired translator takes wired circuits and turns them into wireless zones. The Hardwire 16F transmits those as S-Line 319.5 and the PowerG one transmits a PowerG signal.
I don’t see anywhere in either the 16-f or the DSC hardwire transmitter instructions about wiring the IQ panel to it for power. My current system has a run of 4 wire going from panel to can, and interconnected with the secondary upstairs panel, to power them both. Can I wire the IQ panel into the transmitter for power using the existing 4 wire? Which terminals if so? Correct amperage? Or do I take the end of the existing wire and connect it to the power transformer that comes with the IQ panel to plug into a basement outlet?
Also, do I need some sort of resistor for the 4 wire smokes into the DSC transmitter? I do not see any now, but have no idea what may be in the walls at the smokes themselves. *Edit, found a resistor in the furthest away smoke.
. Can I wire the IQ panel into the transmitter for power using the existing 4 wire?
No, the Hardwire 16F does not support wiring keypads or panels to it, It is meant to takeover hardwired sensors (door/window, motion, glassbreak, etc) and supports up to 10 2-wire smokes.
The Qolsys IQ Panel and IQ Remote secondary panels are meant to be powered off of their included transformers.
Where do I put the green and white wires from my 4 wire smokes? I have the red and black providing power to the smokes (the red light is solid on the smokes, assuming it means there’s an issue). Do I have to use some sort of relay?
